Keeping a clean and organized office not only looks good to your coworkers, but also helps keep your mind at peace. For many of us, problems keeping an organized work space go all the way back to our parents asking us to clean our room. A messy work space can have a destructive effect on your sense of clarity; sifting through piles of paper and digging through shelves takes valuable time away from projects and tasks that need it. Luckily, there are ways you can keep your office organized that will have a significant effect on your work.
Encourage Organization at the Door
How many times have you lost your keys? Although we use them every day, we somehow find a way to misplace them. The same phenomenon occurs in the office, we walk in with literature, keys, coats, and food that ends up scattered around the desk and sometimes the floor. Curb this behavior by adding shelves, hooks, or bins right at the entrance so that you get into the habit of staying organized from the moment you enter.
Get Rid of Paper
Paper accumulates quicker than anything else in your office, and before you know it that memo or two you receive a day can turn into a massive pile before you know it. Do yourself a favor and get rid of it, now. Shred or recycle anything that isn’t important, be sure to mark out any personal information. Take your remaining paper and begin organizing it, which brings us to the next organizational tip.
Binders
Buy them, use them. Binders used to be the coolest back-to-school supply when many of us were still young, and now they serve an even more important purpose. Dividing up your literature into separate binders complete with plastic sleeves makes your life a lot easier since you can find what you need without having to dig. The best thing about binders is that they can all easily fit on to a shelf or two, which opens up more space in your office.
Cut the “Home” Out of Your Home Office
More people than ever work in remote jobs from home and doing so requires them to establish a work space. This can range from a table in the corner to a whole room set aside as a home office. If you’re fortunate to have a home office it’s imperative that you treat it as such, an office. Resist the temptation to bring in food, drinks, iPads, instruments, shoes, or anything else that can become a distraction and take up unnecessary space.
It can be hard at first to break the habits attributed to disorganization, but like any habit, they can be broken with time. By implementing these small changes to your work or home office, you can seriously help the way you feel about yourself, which will make people feel better about your work.
